


Troublesome Birthday

by RiverlyJulianet



Category: Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures
Genre: F/M, Grantedshipping - Freeform, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 11:20:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13950489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverlyJulianet/pseuds/RiverlyJulianet
Summary: It was Yellow's birthday and she decided to go on a picnic in Viridian Forests with her Pokemon...





	Troublesome Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this on the occasion of Yellow's birthday, which was 3rd March. Apparently, I couldn't make it in time and in fact is over a week late :'(  
> This is the second Grantedshipping fic of mine (I just love the couple so so much), hope you'll be enjoying reading this ;)
> 
> *Edit: I changed the title because the old one was so lame ;;3;;

The chirping sound of the many wild bird Pokemon was brought along by a gentle breeze from Viridian Forests, which poured into a small simple room through a window that left open, swaying earthy tone curtains in its wake. An adolescence stirred in her comfy bed, slowly cracked her eyelids open to welcome rays of warm sunlight filling in the air.

Her female Pikachu, who had a pink flower tucked at its ear, squeaked at her side, being awoken as Yellow sat up and yawned sleepily. But she quickly dropped out of her drowsy state and picked the Pikachu up in her small hands, raising it at her eye-level, and she plastered her brightest smile to the yellow rodent.

“Hey, morning Chuchu!” She paused a while before adding. “And a happy birthday to me!”

The Pikachu squeaked happily and nuzzled its snout at Yellow’s nose as a way to celebrate. Its bolt tail erected with low electricity out of excitement, long ears twitched.

“How about a picnic in the Forest today?” Yellow asked her Pikachu and then turned her head to look at her other Pokemon in their balls on the bedside table. “It will be nice staying outside for the whole day with you guys, agree?”

She could feel their happy emotion clear as day even though she was not touching them, which was a significant improvement of herself after months of practice using her gifted power. They were all bright and cheerful and happy for her day, and they definitely were looking forward to roaming through the densely grown trees and having a small party under a lush canopy with winds and sunshines.

Pikachu jumped off of her hands onto the mattress and ran towards the wooden room-door. Its black eyes wide and clear, looking patiently at her as it waited. Yellow giggled happily and got out of her bed. She changed her sleeping pajamas into a simple brown knee-length dress which had long sleeves puffed at the wrists. The dress was an early birthday gift from her uncle since he had to travel to Sinnoh for some business two days ago and could not be home in time. It suited her well as she mesmerized at her reflection in the mirror.

Maybe she would change her hairstyle for today, she thought shyly. No one would see her so that should be fine, plus it was her birthday - a special day should be spent in a special way, right?

Pikachu squeaked again, rushing her to decision. So Yellow pulled her long blonde hair into a loose braid that laid over her shoulder and brushed against her middle at its end. Satisfied, she put on her trademark straw hat, tied her belt with all of her Pokeball on it, slipped her feet into a pair of casual sandals and ready to set off. But not before she shouldered her leather bag in which she contained her Poketransciever (a smart electronic communication device), snacks, lunch and some necessary things for a day outside.

The moment she reached the outskirt of the Viridian Forests, she released her Pokemon out to the nature where they began to stretch and slowly enjoyed the crispy air in the morning. Dodrio squawked as it paced around the grass, wet and glistening from morning mists; Omastar wriggled its many arms, slowly following behind the mighty rock turtle Golem which was waddling among the tall grass; Raticate chattered its teeth while it and Pikachu were communicating happily on something, maybe about how beautiful the weather was; and lastly, Butterfree soared its broad pretty wings over the air, flying low along the flow of air current.

Yellow laughed a little when Omastar clumsily bumped into Golem when the latter suddenly came to a halt to watch Butterfree whirled artistically as if dancing. She held the rim of her hat as she looked up at the high above firmament, painted in rich shade of azure and decorated with some fluffy white clouds in variety of shapes. She could see a fat cloud that looked a lot like a silhouette of Jigglypuff, which reminded her of Blue’s one that was absolute adorable and could sing melodiously. Another breath of wind swept through and blew her silky dress and strands of her hair in its motion.

“Ah, I feel so great! Viridian Forests always has a way to cleanse and raise our spirits,” she said. “This will be a lovely day even without parties and presents and… well, friends?” She trailed off as she remembered there would be nobody here to say happy birthday to herself.

Red, Green and Blue were all on their own adventures to some faraway regions, they could not just left mid-venture to come back for her and she would not feel happy if because of her they had to delay their objectives. Gold and Silver were also off to somewhere, running errands for Professor Elm while Crystal was busy assisting him at the lab in Johto. As for Sapphire, Ruby and Emerald, they were miles away across the sea at Hoenn, too far to get here in just a day and then return home, unless they decided to go on a vacation in Kanto then Yellow would be more than pleasant to invite them to come over for her birthday.

So that was that, she was kind of alone in her birthday this year.

Sensing her sadness, Yellow’s Pokemon almost immediately gathered around her in comfort. Pikachu climbed up to perch on her shoulder, nuzzled at her ear slightly with concerns in its eyes. Dodrio’s three heads lowered themselves to watched her carefully, one of which dug its beak gently under her hat while Omastar, Raticate and Golem offered her worried expression. Even Butterfree stopped flying around but hovering over her, sharing her melancholy.

Yellow was a bit surprised. Although she did not intend to cause her Pokemon worry, but they made her feel warm and suddenly the sensation of loneliness that had just been on the verge to breakout was swayed away. In truth, she did not blame her friends for anything, and she did not mind spending her day with her Pokemon alone at all.

“I’m fine, guys, don’t worry,” her face softened into a grateful smile. “Today’s my birthday, and I’m gonna enjoy it through with you guys. So nothing can change the mood, okay?”

Her Pokemon simultaneously chittered and squawked, nodding their heads as best as they could to show agreement before Dodrio whirled around and burst into a swift run to the Forests. It stopped abruptly and cocked its head in challenge as it waited for Yellow and the others to start walking, slowly catching up.

“Not fair, Dody!” Yellow laughed and she found herself running towards her bird Pokemon with Pikachu had now been sitting on top of her hat and Raticate, Golem, Omastar and Butterfree hot at her heels (and head).

“Let’s go Omny, Ratty, Gravvy, Kitty! Don’t let Dody drop us behind!”

Pikachu squeaked excitedly as it held tight onto the brim of Yellow’s straw hat, watching its friends all followed behind and giggled cutely.

 

 

“Wahhhh!” Yellow screamed as she ducked away from a Pidgeotto’s Big Pecks. It was the male of the bird couple, meanwhile, the female Pidgeotto squawked angrily as it tried to attack Dodrio and was caught in Golem’s Sand Veil. It was paralyzed by the monstrous blowing sands for a good amount of time for Butterfree to wrapped the bird’s chicken legs and feathered wings tightly in silk by shooting String Shots at it, preventing it from taking advantage of its flying ability. The bird shrieked, attempting to free itself but completely helpless to the hardened silk.

“Chuchu,” she called to her Pikachu, who ran after the Pidgeotto but unable to attack the giant bird as it cleverly kept a good distance from the ground. “Use Static when he dives for me again, will you?”

“And Omny,” she continued as she positioned herself behind her Omastar, ready to react to any attack from the Pidgeotto soaring above. “Water Gun at him, don’t be too powerful though since I-”

Yellow did not have the chance to finish her sentence since Omastar was quick to obey and shot a jet of water, spraying like a heavy rain onto the feathered Pokemon. The attack did little damage to it saved for pissing it off even more. And to Yellow’s prediction, it folded its wings flat and swooped fast at Omastar and her. She hastily ducked again just in time for a wave of static electricity sent towards her direction and hit Pidgeotto at the side. Its feathers were quick to respond and had already stood on ends as the bird flung to the grassy ground in a thud, being paralyzed.

Yellow carefully walked to Pidgeotto’s side and placed a hand on it. Overwhelming rage and desperation and utmost worries poured into her so real and powerful that she thought it was her own emotions as images flashed through her mind. She then opened her eyes to look at the poor thing and its partner, sympathized to their sadness over the disappearance of their offspring.

“I can help you find your Pidgey,” she whispered and smiled friendly. “You know I’m your friend, right? I’m not the one who stole your child, so stop attacking me and let me help you.”

Pidgeotto made little response as it was still in paralyzed state caused by the electricity from Pikachu. The female Pidgeotto, who was still stuck in Butterfree’s silk and was kept under Dodrio’s and Golem’s watch, was close enough to hear Yellow and it replied with a less hostile squawk but not a trustful one.

Her Raticate had been wounded pretty badly, so she had returned it to Pokeball for a good resting after she had healed it briefly. It was her unfortunate to have become the Pidgeotto couple’s target out of all the wilderness and been caught in a sudden madness assault which caused her fluffy brown rodent to be injured just because they had thought she had something to do with their Pidgey child.

She sensed the Pidgeotto’s distrust lingered in the air as their frantic thoughts had yet to cease. They both looked at her, dark pupils reflected her profile in their pits. Neither of them struggled to move as their intent to wait for a good opportunity wafted in Yellow’s mind.

“Please, I really can help, I mean no harm. I have to defend for myself when you guys attack out of nowhere, right?” She explained. “I can ask the others in the Forests where to find Pidgey.”

She did not wait for Pidgeotto to show signs of acceptance and once again placing her hand on the soft feathers of the male Pidgeotto. She smiled gently as her hand started to glow in a faint halo. “Here, let’s heal you first. Sorry for paralyzing you.”

After making sure Pidgeotto had recovered well and being able to struggle to its feet, she went to the female and helped releasing it from Butterfree’s silk. “There.” She finished and stood up, smiled brightly.

The bird couple hovered over her at their full height, so enormous as wild Pokemon usually was. They were not about to blow their rage on her and her Pokemon anymore, but they were eager to continue searching up the whole vast forests. However, they remained still and waited for Yellow’s doings. She could feel their gaze on her as she mounted Dodrio, recalling the others except for Pikachu that sat in front of her middle on the dodo bird.

“Deeper into the forest!” Yellow commanded with a determination in her voice. “The Carterpie there told so.”

She did not read Carterpie’s thinking at near distance to know exactly, but from this far she could still realize the direction which Caterpie hiding high up among the leaves around was trying to send her. She would stopped and asked for more detail along her search.

Dodrio took off at a normal pace, and behind her, Yellow heard sounds of wind whirls as both Pidgeotto flapped their wings and was back to the sky to follow. The sun was just a third way up to the top, her supposedly birthday day had just begun.

 

 

Hours had passed and Yellow had gotten a bit tired due to the amount of power she had used to read wild Carterpie’s, Metapod’s, and even wild Pikachu’s and Rattata’s memories for baby Pidgey’s possible location. She trespassed Ariados’s and Spinarak’s territory and encountered their wrath over the intruders. It was a struggle to slip away not so safely as her Pikachu had just narrowly escaped from the overgrown spiders’ sharp fangs and Omastar had its shell cracked because of the powerful Rollout, which blasted it backward and slammed to a hard rock nearby in order to save her from a looming danger.

Pidgeotto was a big help from the sky as Yellow did not have the ability to control the chaos situation, and she could not keep track of her own Pokemon. The Pidgeotto couple dove in and kept the Ariados and Spinarak busy while Yellow recalled her injured Omastar, Golem and Dodrio then retreated with Pikachu cradled in her arms with the help of Butterfree slim but strong legs and wings. It flew her through the attack that past the Pidgeotto and came for her, bursting through bushes and branches and trees to carry her upward, away from the madness.

She looked behind her as Butterfree moved westward, to a lake hidden deep inside Viridian where she had never braved her feet to, waiting to see the two giant birds following. And she sighed in relief when two dark silhouettes against the bright sun emerged.

Butterfree was soon exhausted from sun heat and a heavy luggage at its many legs. As petite as Yellow was, she and Pikachu together still was a bit too heavy for the delicate butterfly to hold onto for long. So she urged it to land, having it back in its Pokeball and once again released Dodrio for the rest of the way.

She reached the lake by noon, taking a break. She took out her injured Pokemon and healed them with her gifted ability; she also treated the Pidgeotto couple, who got a few scratches and minor bleeding. Then Yellow fed her Pokemon with her brought along food, and having a quick lunch for herself. She asked Pidgeotto if they wanted to have something to eat, but they refused, just silently and impatiently waited.

The lake water was crystal clear as it mirrored the beautiful sky above. Sometimes, Magikarp broke the silent water surface in waves for air, then again was undersurface. Bugs chirped even at midnoon, filling in the air with constant sounds which made it less lonely and scarier in the heart of Viridian Forests. Excluding the incidents she had met, to have a chance to be here was a nice birthday present from the Forests itself.

Yellow picked out the leaves and twigs stuck in her now messy braid, dusting herself off and felt a bit guilty when dirtying uncle’s pretty dress in just half a day. She thought briefly that after finding Pidgey, she would go home, take a shower and sleep for the rest of the day. The tiredness was about to become more vivid as a sleepy mist clouded her mind, but she fought to keep herself awake and dared not to blink her amber eyes.

After the short rest, she decided to leave only Dodrio and Pikachu out to accompany her in the resuming search because they were two out of three that were in probably good shape and health, and Golem was a bit heavy to follow Dodrio’s speed. From then, it was a rather quick, easy and peaceful journey before Yellow found a scaring Pidgey crouching under a hollow space beneath the roots of an ancient tree whose width was as good as her height, and its darkened canopies disappeared far above. Yellow knelt down and reached her hand for the baby bird, saying soothing and reassuring words but it remained shivering down in the pit. When she showed Pidgey its parents, it cried and made little movement to its dear family.

When Yellow thought she could get a good gentle hold of the small bird, she did not expect that Pidgey pecked its tough beak at her hand, making her cried in pain and withdrew away from the hollow. Seeing opportunity, Pidgey made for a flight out of its hidden place and threw itself into Pidgeotto’s safe and familiar feathers. Female Pidgeotto wrapped its wings around its child, wailing in relief.

Yellow watched them hunched forward in way of showing gratitude, and with their offspring, taking to the air in just three flaps of their enormous feathered wings, returning to their nest somewhere. She waved them a goodbye with her good arm, smiled contently despite exhaustion. But her smile did not last long as the aching pain in her hand caught her attention.

Her right palm was bleeding from an open gap in the middle. The hole created by Pidgey’s weak Peck was deep, almost reach the bone inside, warm with fresh pouring blood. She winced at the iron stench and moaned painfully.

“Gosh… It hurts…”

Without knowing any of this would happen, Yellow did not bring with her first-aid kit nor any medical antiseptic nor even bandages. She held her wrist in her good hand, examining the wound and knowing that she needed to temporarily bandage it first. There was no option for her except for the cloth from her clothes. She closed her eyes and mumbled an earnest apology to her uncle as she tear away her dress’ right sleeve, and clumsily wrapped it around her palm with her non dominant hand.

“Okay,” she said to herself as Pikachu and Dodrio looked at her intently. They emitted their helplessness to which she grinned a crooked grin over the agony. “It’s not your fault. And it’s just a, um, slight wound. I’ll be just fine!”

Despite saying so, she could not imagine how fine she would be if she kept on wandering in the deep forest, and her palm would be an unignorable pain. It would be infected if she did not find a way to clean it properly, even better if she could go to a hospital. However…

 _Wait_ , this was a further part of Viridian Forests which was alien to her, and a realization dawned upon her.

_I don’t know where the hell in the forest I am now…_

Viridian Forests was known as a natural maze, and it was vastly expanded westward to near Kanto-Johto border and northward to Pewter City. However, Yellow was sure she had left the track to Pewter a long time ago, and probably she was somewhere on the way to Indigo Plateau or Blackthorn City of Johto, where she had never been to before, not through the dark woods with no route and no animal path to guide the way. She knew she was lost and had a hard time to bring herself come to an acceptance.

 

 

Dodrio carried Yellow and Pikachu on its back, wandering around and asking the wild Pokemon for a way out. Some of them did not know, some ignored or were too afraid to let her get near enough, and some tried to trick her into their set up traps. The wilderness here did not welcome her - a human presence, at all. She had learned that earlier when in search for Pidgey, but it had not bothered her as much as it did in the meantime. She was in pain, worn out from all the energy she had used, dirty and messy, and her new dress was torn and ripped at the rim, not to mention the loss of one sleeve.

“Why my birthday becomes like this?” Yellow mused, sparing her bandaged hand a wince, “And I thought I could have spent a peaceful, happy day doing nothing but enjoying the weather with you guys.”

Pikachu squeaked sadly at its place in front of her, and one of Dodrio’s head turned around to give an understanding look. Yellow let out a small sigh, and she spotted a curious Kakuna nesting on a trunk nearby. Its hollow dark eyes big and round through its sturdy yellow cocoon, trained on her with wonders at seeing human for the first time in its life.

“Hey little guy,” Yellow called to Kakuna. “Do you know the way to the main paths? I’m kinda lost in here, so… Can you help me?”

The Kakuna did not seem to hear her question as it stayed still and silent, and there was no thoughts or feelings from the cocoon that Yellow could receive. The moment she extended her left arm in attempt to read Kakuna’s mind, its shell cracked. The gap broadened in matter of seconds, and from inside, a newborn Beedrill shot out, pointing its drill-like stingers and conical tail at her.

“Oh, great. You evolve.” Yellow exclaimed. “So can you please lead the way for me?”

But she sensed hostility in reply. And the killing intent was not there a moment ago suddenly doubled, tripled, and multiplied in quantity. Before she became aware of what was happening, more Beedrill appeared all around her, coming from the dark canopies. Yellow looked at the bees and their threatening drills, somewhat horrified.

“If you don’t want to help then it’s totally okay,” she heard her voice shook. “I’ll be leaving now and leave you and your friends alone. No harm, deal?”

No dealing here in the forest. And Dodrio’s shriek started yet again another battle between her versus the wild Pokemon.

 _Can this get even worse?_ Yellow merely thought to herself as a bee was on its way driving Poison Sting at her and Dodrio. Pikachu sparkled with electricity as it jumped onto her wide straw hat, prepared to defense.

Yellow urged Dodrio to run, but there was no escape as the bees circled her. She had to open a way on her own with the help of her Pokemon and she had little time to think.

Pikachu leapt into the air and exploded in a Megavolt attack. Bolts of high voltage electricity hit some of the Beedrill, burning them to crisp or at least electrocuted them. That were a very few of the swarm. Pikachu’s inefficient attack showed its fatigue, it could not hold its ground any longer.

Up to now, Yellow had tried her hardest not to cause any death of Pokemon. However, her policy would cause her miserable death facing the aggressive Beedrill with her two exhausted Pokemon. She let Golem out to help Pikachu defending the raining attack, knowing that both of them would lose easily if she did not do something fast. One of the bee smoothly slipped past Pikachu’s Static and Golem’s Rock Blast, diving its poisonous stingers at Yellow herself. If it was not for Dodrio’s agile reflexes, she could have been stung, or more like being drilled a bloody hole through her body.

Yellow gasped in panic, but she calmed herself down and racked her mind for some plan. She just needed an opening.

“Chuchu, use Flash!” She commanded hastily. “Gravvy, create a Sandstorm as severe as you can and then Rock Throw at the Beedrill over there!”

Pikachu obeyed and quickly charged up for a Flash and temporarily blind the attackers’ sight. Meanwhile, Golem worked to blow up dirt and sand from the ground, slowly forming a storm that sucked some close by Beedrill in its madness spin, and forced others to stay at their position. With that, Golem continued to lift off many boulders, holding its ground despite the damage it took from a Beedrill that managed to break through the Sandstorm and Slammed at it, and throw them at the bees standing in the way in front of Dodrio and Yellow, causing them to scatter and leave a way for Dodrio to make its burst.

Yellow withdrew Pikachu and Golem in a hurry as Dodrio took her across rocketing sand and pebbles, aiming for the open that its teammates had created. The Beedrill did not let them go easily, though. When the Sandstorm ceased, they immediately chased after them.

The fastest of them caught up with Dodrio’s pace and Poison Stinged again at Dodrio to force it to stop. The dodo bird could not evade that, so it took the hit directly at its side and cried in agony as it stumbled so sudden that Yellow lost balance on its back and fell over.

“No, Dody!” She screamed as she witnessed her brave bird shrieked and jerked when poison seeped into its veins.

Yellow cried out when her back hit hard on the rocky surface and rolled several times until a trunk caught her in her middle. Her straw hat fell off her head along the process and laid pathetically among the dry leaves and dirt; her hair erupted into flows of tangled, messy strands. Dizzy and painful, she whined and hardly turned to lie flat on her aching back. Her view zoomed in and out, blurring, and she heard unpleasant ringing sound echoing in her ears and head. Her palm throbbed terribly as she felt fresh warm blood seeping through the wrapped cloth.

There was a distorted Beedrill hovering above her, drawing its deathly stinger in order to finish her life. Yellow’s dilated amber eyes shut tightly at image of the sharp drill, waiting for it to sink into her skull, killing her instantly. But it never came.

She heard the air being pierced by some powerful force, following by a deafening cry and a sharp growling sound of swirling wind on contact of something. She saw some kind of darkish fluid exploded and splattered onto her after that and chunks of something rained down beside and all over her, dyed her view in its dark colour. She smelled horrid stench that turned her stomach and she heard crunching leaves and branches as something approached.

Everything was so blur, and Yellow did not know if she was conscious or had already succumb to her heavy eyelids. But then she heard a whispering voice somewhere nearby. A voice of another human, and the sudden relief that someone was here and she was being saved propelled what little left of energy inside her and she jolted awake to realize she was being held in someone’s muscular arms, and she saw his piercing dark eyes looking down on her.

_Who?_

“...one hell of a girl, aren’t you?” He spoke in his low, vigorous and somehow familiar voice. He carried her somewhere she did not know, all she could see were trees in the forest which supposedly her second home, looming high and darkening in colour as daylight started to recede.

Yellow’s mind raced with disorder thoughts. Her amber eyes tried to take in his profile, and racked her mind of who he could be. Her brain screamed in protest at first, but then it docilely obliged her and let she remember.

“...Lance.” She breathed the name that had been at the tip of her tongue. And she jerked in sudden awareness, weakly and futilely squirmed to get off of his hold.

Lance stopped in his track, a hint of annoyance crossed his face for just a split second. He quietly looked at her and spoke with a calm that chilled her to the bone for some reason.

“Be still, or I’ll leave you to your death.”

Yellow knew she had no other choice but to listen to him as her body was on the verge of shutting down now, so she let herself relaxed a little in his arms, feeling uncomfortable being too close to an opposite sex, let alone it was Lance - her former enemy. It was long ago, and she had heard how better he had changed from Silver, even Gold and Crystal had confirmed the truth. She was happy for him about that, but still, this was so strange and awkward for her to bear.

Yellow could no more resist her desire to sleep, and her eyelids shut. Before she drifted away to a deep slumber, she sensed warmth of friendliness and peaceful solace which she nearly forgot how they felt after the events of the awful long day. Even if she had been a hero, one of the infamous Pokedex Holders, facing against many kind of dangers and evil schemes and fighting for the world’s sake, she was in fact nothing compared to the others. She could do all of what her had achieved just because she had her friends always there besides her, but without them, even her beloved Viridian Forests had proved to be too much for her today. She slept in the acknowledgement of how miserable she was when being alone.

 

 

In her dream, Yellow was heartily enjoying her birthday party with her uncle and all of her friends. They were in her home, devouring delicious food which she, Crystal and Ruby with the help of Daisy - Green’s sister, had prepared from scratch. A huge tiered birthday cake Blue and Sapphire had chosen from a bakery in Viridian City was decorated in pretty golden flowers and Pokeball-like candies with mini figures of her Pokemon team and even herself, wearing her identical tunic and jeans and a big straw hat. The others brought with them small and big, round and square boxes of gift, all wrapped up and tied colorful bows for decoration.

They were laughing their heart out at Gold’s joke, Emerald’s mime and Red’s silly face when he bumped into Blue’s trick. Green and Silver were usually quiet, but today they smiled brightly and wished her nice things. Her uncle gave her a tight hug as he gifted her a beautiful dress that even Ruby had to awe. Everyone wanted her to change into her new dress and she obliged them.

After that, Gold picked up a fight with Silver, dragging in Red and Sapphire and they ended up throwing remaining food at each other. Blue was the next to follow their fun, taking a huge chunk of cake in her hand and shoving it into Green’s and Crystal’s face, infuriating them. Emerald excited to join in with his seniors, while Ruby was nowhere to be seen, having found a place to hide away. More flying cake and cream bits, and this time coming for Yellow herself when she was standing and laughing hard at everybody’s ridiculous outlook. She covered her face as Red came with a big portion of cake on his hand and he was grinning playfully.

But when she opened her eyes, there was no one. No parties, no cake, no gifts. She was alone in her quiet home as if all were just her imagination. Indeed it was her imagination though.

 

 

Yellow slowly cracked her eyes open again, and welcome her was a cloudless starry sky. Dots of twinkling stars winked at her teasingly, and the crescent moon told her that it had not yet midnight. How long had she been asleep, she wondered.

She spent a moment to take in her surrounding, and saw that she was afloat in water, among the tall and verdant old trees of the same forest that had given her its miracle. The lake she was in sat in the centre of a wide clearing, shallow and not a sign of Pokemon could be detected in its transparent waters. The way the liquid touched her skin gave her such strange sensations. Loving and caring, supporting and revitalizing. Like a mother’s magical embrace, she felt protected and as if she was healed both physically and mentally.

The foliage rustled all around as night breeze swept through. It churned the lake’s surface, and with a help of the moon’s silvery light, the waters glistened as if there were diamond dust that created such beautiful effect.

_Where is this place? Why am I here?_

Yellow admitted she did not know anything about Viridian Forests off-route, especially when it was this far west, which was so obvious now. Even when this was her natural home, it had always showed her its kindness where she had gone to all those years back that she had innocently forgotten about its actual character.

She recalled her pitiful birthday, wondered how many days since then had passed. Then she gasped as remembering something really important: her Dodrio.

Immediately, Yellow waded the water and tried to stood up, but she slipped at a trippy rock on the shallow base of the lake, and her body splashed into the fluid. Her hands planted onto pebbles and rocks as they caught her body. Pain erupted in her right palm and she yelped a little, mouthing a gulp of water by doing so. She managed to balance herself and sit up, the water level was just to her chest. Her eyes stung with the tears on the verge to break down.

“What’re you doing?”

An icy voice raised somewhere from the shore, and Yellow replied even before she turned to come into face with the person who was talking. “I have to find Dody!”

She was taken aback a little at the sight of a sturdy man, whom she recognized right away without further confusion. He had saved her, for an unclear reason, _but did he saved Dody?_

Lance furrowed his eyebrows briefly at the name, and quickly understood. “You mean your Dodrio.”

“Yes! Yes… He was there with me. You must have seen him! I have to get to him...” Yellow trailed off before continuing, worry and anger flashed in her amber eyes. “Did you left him there?”

Lance simply sighed and shrugged, which brought furious tears to her orbs.

“How could you do that!” She exclaimed and again stood up, more carefully this time and approached the grassy shore. She climbed up with a bit difficultly since her body ached and protested against strong actions.

Lance merely looked at her, then walked over to give her a leather belt. Her belt. All of her six Pokeball were neatly put in there with the minimized Pokemon curling in them, sleeping soundly. Dodrio was in its ball along with the rest, seemed to be absolutely safe and sound as there was no visible wound to be seen. Had Lance cured it? Its fur rose up and down as it breathed peacefully. Pikachu sensed its trainer appearance so it woke up from its slumber to peer at her, twitching its long ears and tail and releasing a sleepy cheerful aura.

“Dody, Chuchu...” Yellow whispered when she gently took the belt in both her hands, closing in her face to have a better look at her dear Pokemon. Fresh tears ran down her cheeks, hot against her skin. “You guys.”

She nearly forgot about Lance if it had not for him to speak again. “You’ll catch a cold staying like that.”

Yellow glanced up in puzzle, thousands of questions swam into her brain from out of nowhere. Why Lance was here? Why did he bother to save her? Had he done anything to her while she was unconscious? How long had she been asleep? How did her birthday ended up such miserably? She had not a faintest idea.

Too drowning in her own thoughts, Yellow failed to notice Lance annoyed sigh as he closed the distance between them. The fact that he was looming tall over her made she shuddered and could not help but felt so tiny in front of him.

“Huh?” Her reaction to his extended hand was too slow, and she found herself being draped in his cloak. That was when she realized how cold the air was, especially when she was soaking wet: water dripped from her clothes, blonde hair drenched and heavy, and her dress did nothing but made her felt sticky and way too exposed through the damp silk. She blushed at the realization, then hugged herself, tugging on the cloth and shivering. Fog had begun to rise thinly as time moved forward to the late evening.

Lance returned to a campfire he had made, where his Dragonite was curling up, lying still as an enormous orange statue and acting as a wind-blocker. He sat down, picking up a half-cooked meat block and continuing grilling it on the dancing fire. Yellow eyed him, her mind was as confused and tangled as jumble threads, but she decided to follow him, tempted by the fiery light.

She shyly took a seat across from Lance, holding tight on his cloak as sucking in a warm delicious breath. The appealing smell of food struck her nostrils, making her mouth watered and her stomach grumbled loudly. She flushed a little under a ghost gaze from Lance.

Yellow looked around for her bag, knowing there would be some snack left for her to chew on. She spotted it was next to Lance, who had done roasting his dinner and was cutting it into portions with his hunting knife. She gulped at the sight of the meat, forcing herself to think of something else to ignore the hunger, not wanting to interrupt his business.

“What are you doing out here?” Lance asked out of the blue. He was not paying attention to her but instead throwing the biggest piece of the meat to his Dragonite, who was more than happy to snatch it and swallow whole down. Then, he gave her half of what was left while he started to chew on the other half.

Yellow’s irises widened in surprise as she deliberately accepted his treat. She observed her dinner for maybe a fairly long time because Lance caught her wariness and spoke. “It’s not poisoned.”

“Huh?” Yellow startled, not used to his chilly quiet voice. But she could tell it was not the same as how it had been when she first encountered him many years ago. There was no more hatred in it, nor disdain. “No, I… I just have a lot on my mind. Um… I didn’t think you would… share your dinner,” She managed to stutter. “To me, I mean.”

“You didn’t think I would save your Dodrio, too.” Lance pointed out. There was not a trace of accusatory or anything in his sentence, but Yellow felt embarrassed nonetheless.

“Yes…” She replied. “But I have reasons to believe so…”

Never had she been this unsure in her life about somebody. She was the type of person who could easily get along with everyone, reaching for their souls instead of just paying attention to their behaviours. That was why she usually worried her friends, they told her that she was so naive, too kind and forgiving that she could be tricked and be used by bad people. Truth to be told, she might be benevolent like they had said but she still had doubts when necessary, and forgiveness was something out of hand at the moment even with the acknowledgement of Lance’s new self.

“You do.” Lance agreed. “But you don’t seem to be sure of yourself.”

He got her again. How could he do that?

“You used to be more confident back then.” He continued.

Yellow did not answer. His words like a sharp blade plunged into her guts. Maybe the lonely small adventure she had got for her birthday had affected her more than she thought. Or maybe she had been too dependent on others for so long that she had lost herself along the way. She hoped for the former despite her inner told the opposite.

“Where is this place?” Yellow advertently changed the subject. “Why was I in a lake?”

“This is the heart of Viridian Forests. Only blessed children of the Forests can get access to this holy place.” Lance said, tone hinted proud and gratefulness. “And the Divinity Lake helps healing you.”

Yellow gave him a questioning look before raised her right palm to her eyes. The temporary sleeve bandaged had been removed, and the deep hole that baby Pidgey had pecked into her hand had somewhat mended. It still pained her to the touch, but the major wound had been magically replaced by regenerated mass of meat and skin. And she recalled the feelings she had submerging in that lake’s liquid - soothing and revitalizing.

“... That’s incredible,” she amazed. “I’ve only heard of a hot spring on Silver Mountains that can do such amazing thing.”

“This place is unknown to the outside world.” Lance said simply before holding her gaze. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“Oh, that… Couldn’t you have read my Pokemon’s mind already?”

“Is it that difficult for you to consider this as a normal conversation? I ask you a question, and you suppose to answer it.”

“Well, I…” Yellow opened her mouth to reason but found nothing to say. “...I’m sorry.”

“Then answer.”

“I was... going on a picnic with my Pokemon in the familiar parts of Viridian Forests when things happened and I ended up lost... More things happened afterward and then you found me.”

“In a pathetic state.” Lance commented.

Yellow frowned at him, sarcastically. “Sorry for being pathetic.”

“It’s understandable. You’ve been assaulted by many forces in this forest.” He finished his dinner and reached for his flask, knocking back probably a third of its content.

Yellow watched, for the first time seeing him for real behind the orange flames. He was more mature in appearance than she remembered, having spiky carmine hair and piercing dark eyes. He was well-built she must say, muscular as lifting her in his arms effortlessly, and his looking used to be so ideal for the females in the past, now it could even drive them crazy for its severe and harsh yet attractive features. She shooed herself for having these thoughts, why would she have a sudden interest in another man that was not Red?

Speaking of Red, she wondered what he was doing now. Red was the first hero figure in her heart since she was a little child up until now. From when he taught her meaningful things and gave her a Rattara, she always looked for an opportunity to meet him again and help him out in his heroism. That was how she became a Pokedex Holder, and that was how she encountered Lance.

She used to have a crush on her hero, but she soon realized that Red had something for Gym Leader Misty of Cerulean despite his obliviousness to it. So in the end, after years of trying to catch his attention, she decided to abandon her feelings except for the admiration even when it did pain her for a long time after that. She quietly sighed.

“Your food’s getting cold.”

Being reminded of her hunger, Yellow’s stomach growled once again. She complied it and started to munch on the dinner Lance had given her, the amazingly sweet and tender flavour of a perfectly cooked meat immediately struck into her core and surprised her to no end.

“This is so good!” She blurted out, cheeks flushed in pure amazement.

Lance gave her a look but saying nothing. He fed more twigs to the voracious flames, ensuring it would last at least until past midnight, then he stood up and went to unpack his things.

Yellow watched him while eating up all of her meal, tasting the deliciousness lingered at her tongue afterward. Her uncle Wilton’s food had always been on the top of her list, but this meal somehow changed that. Maybe it was the tiredness and hunger that could make any kind of food in front of her right now become so much appetizing.

If her uncle had been home on her birthday, she would not have been ended up here. She would have a nice day at home with special breakfast, lunch and dinner just for her on her day. If her friends had been back in time for her birthday, they would have dragged her into their joy and fun at a small party perhaps, and she would not have been lost in her wander deep inside Viridian Forests. If they were here, she would have not felt so… lonely. She did not tell anyone how greedy she was for the warmth and love given by people surrounded her, and how she hated to be alone, although it might be so obvious.

Her birthday had gone now, in such a disastrous way. And the fact that she had not received any call to her Poketransciever in that day (if there had been one, she would have heard the loud ringing sound) helped nothing but deepened her grief. So Yellow could not help but sense a wave of disappointment and sadness washed over her. Before she knew, tears had trickled down her cheeks.

Pikachu in its Pokeball squeaked sympathetically from the belt in her lap. She gave it a weak smile out of instinct, not wanting her Pokemon to worry about her. However, Pikachu did not buy it and it scratched the ball’s interior surface to be out.

“Too lonely to bear?”

Yellow was pulled back to reality by Lance’s voice and she was in fact grateful for his existence here, as another human being among the vast and lonely forest at night. She looked up at him, unable to restrain her flowing tears and Lance held her gaze in return. His eyes were in an extremely dark tone of amber, she realized, and showed just a hollow emptiness, nothing else. For so long she had always thought those eyes were stern, cold and absolute cruel, but now she knew it did not quite right.

Lance was indeed her old enemy, but he had saved her from those Beedrill. He even saved her Dodrio, and possibly had treated it, maybe the others too, with his own ability considering their condition were much better. Then he brought her here to heal in that so-called Divinity Lake. He gave her his cloak to wrapped and gave her food to fill her stomach. That was incredibly nice out of a once malicious, formidable villain like Lance.

“Is this how you’ve always been?” Instead of answering his question, Yellow asked as she wiped away the stream from her eyes. “Alone in your own ideal? So lonely that you forgot about the beautiful things around you?”

“Why interest?” Lance frowned deeply at her but his expression was quick to return to its unreadable state. He shifted his gaze towards the lake, which was a night sky’s mirrored image, breaking and wavering under the influence of wind blows. “It all belongs to the past, so leave it.”

“Is it?” She could not imagine how he could endure the loneliness, and the same for the hatred he bore since who knew when. Why Lance hated human, she relived her years ago wonders when she had faced him, how come eradicating human race had been his once time desire.

“You and me are not the same. Don’t you pity me, Yellow.” Lance hissed as anger swept across his face. Those hollow irises arose emotion for a split second.

“No, I…” Yellow was startled, not at the change in his expression but at the name voiced by him. It was strange. It was totally different from how she last heard him saying her name. She could not pinpoint the difference though.

She was about to explained but she could see in his eyes that Lance did not like to hear more of this, so she uttered something else, the thing had been nagging her mind for a while. No matter how bad Lance had been, it was only her manner to express her undeniable gratitude. “...T-Thank you… for everything.”

His orbs gazed into hers as if searching for something he expected to be there, but there was not. Lance sighed and went back to pull out his sleeping bag from the backpack, rolled it flat on the ground.

“Dry yourself up, then sleep in there.” He indicated the sleeping bag he had just laid down. “I’ll take you back on track tomorrow morning.”

“What ‘bout you?” Yellow asked. “Why’re you helping me so much? Shouldn’t you just leave me be since… well, I’m your nemesis, aren’t I? And why’re you even here? I thought you were somewhere in Johto or so Silver had told.”

“Too many questions.” Lance silenced her out by the sharpness of his stare. “For you to know, I made a mistake which turned out to be your lucky victory in the past, so it wasn’t you who foiled my plan, it was me being too blind. Also, I have my business here that you don’t have to care about, and I’m fine without a sleeping bad.”

“Oh…” Yellow slowly registered his words, wondering if she got the right meaning laid beneath them. “If you said so.”

The awkward silence soon filled in. Lance sat himself back on the grass, leaning against Dragonite’s hard scales and closed his eyes. Yellow began to be uncomfortable, stressed out by the uneasy hush left for the rustle of leaves, whistle of wind and crackle of fire.

“... It was my birthday,” she started, spilling any thoughts that came to her head. “My friends were on their adventures and so I went into Viridian Forests to have a small picnic by myself. I… thought I would be fine but… I guess I can’t bear the loneliness. Especially when it was a day I looked forward the most…”

Lance did not reply so Yellow assumed he had fallen asleep. She sighed then released Pikachu and stood up, his cloak wrapped around her now drenched in water and provided no further warmth. She moved closer to the campfire with her yellow rodent perched on her shoulder to take in more of the heat, reaching for her bag and she rummaged through for her Poketransciever. Pikachu nudged at the side of her face, sending a faint static down her cheek and jaw.

“Your Pikachu told me about that.” Lance said quietly. He still kept his eyes shut, arms crossed. “And it isn’t ‘was’. You’ve just been unconscious for about four or five hours.”

Yellow frowned at him, did he always have a way to surprise her this much? Pikachu chittered in apologize and sent its explanation into her mind. She barely heard it.

“... what?”, was all Yellow managed to speak. After a little while, she added. “So there you admit having read my Pokemon’s mind already.”

Lance shrugged slightly. His eyes suddenly fluttered open and he… smiled, no, smirked a ghost one. “Isn’t that obvious? They were so loud.”

Yellow was speechless at his way of answering, but soon put it aside. “But what do you mean by I’ve just slept for a few hours?”

“I mean what I meant. The Divinity Lake is a wonder, didn’t I say?”

“Oh… Well…” Yellow trailed off in her thinking, not sure whether to be happy that her birthday was still going on or to be exasperated for that same reason. She could not hold a picnic with her Pokemon now when things had finally seemed to be peaceful, excluding the fact that she was still lost in the middle of Viridian Forests. They were too tired, and her gifted power could not speed up their rest.

Pikachu smelled its trainer’s uncertainty and it sparked to remind her of its being by her side. Yellow jumped slightly, but released her remarkable gentle smile at her electric rodent while mumbling a thank.

“It doesn’t have to be ended as horrible unless it’s what you want.”

Yellow tilted her head lightly and looked at Lance. He was sitting up, expressionless and peered at nothing in particular. She could not help but curious what was on his mind.

“Can I… Can I ask you for one thing?” Yellow muttered when she finally found her Poketransciever and pulled it out. She released yet another sigh when staring at its black screen and realized it had gone out of battery, maybe that was why she had not received any call from her friends and her uncle.

“What is it?”

“It’s weird, I know, and doesn’t seem to be…” she started in length.

“Say it.” Lance cut her off, impatient for her beat around the bush saying.

Yellow drew in a deep breath as if it took a lot of her courage to ask Lance for such a thing. Well, it was Lance she was talking to. They had just met after what seemed like an eternity since their last battle, and at that time they were on the opposite sides, trying to kill each other.

“Uh… can you…” She lowered her head, finding the amusement in watching the hungry fire charred on its woods while scratching Pikachu behind its ears. “Can you wish me a happy birthday?”

There was a short silence before she continued rambling on. “My uncle is always the first to wake me up and cheerily says so to me since I was a very young kid. I’ve never spent a birthday without a wish from him or anybody else before, so… I don’t know… I just… Well, if you don’t want to then it’s just fine.”

Lance adjusted his position and gave her his full attention. There was nothing to be read there on his face as usual, but he did raise an eyebrow in question.

“Is it still as much meaningful when you ask for it?” He asked, somehow sounded curious.

“... I don’t know.” Yellow said honestly. Now she knew nothing at all. She did not know why she asked Lance for such thing, she did not know how she could easily forget who she was and who he was, she did not know where her conscience went in fact. “I don’t know. You told me I’m the one who can choose the ending.”

Lance chuckled a bit, but there was no fun in it. “Then you have to make another choice.”

“I figure that.” She just smiled understandingly before taking off Lance’s cloak, making sure her dress had dried out enough and not exposing her skin anymore. She laid the cloak over a trunk of lying wood near the campfire to let it dry. Pikachu jumped from her head down beside her, watching curiously. Yellow sensed its sleepiness so she scooped it up and placed it on top of her leather bag. “There, sleep well Chuchu. Thanks for today, buddy. Maybe it went kinda wrong, but on a second thought,that makes it a memorable day, right?”

Pikachu chittered encouragingly as it black eyes drooped to sleep. Yellow giggled at its sleeping form, curling up like a furry ball. She brushed out her messy blonde hair with her hand while watching over the small rodent, she then looked around for some kind of vines to tied her hair up. When having just finished, she was startled at a voice from behind.

“How peculiar,” She heard Lance murmuring.

“Huh?” She whirled around and surprised to see him standing behind her. When did he get over here?

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“What?” She did not have the time to process what he meant as he lowered his upper body, inching his face close to hers but kept at a respective distance.

Yellow could not stop herself from blushing first, then stammering in wariness. “W...What’re you doing? What do you mean?”

“Happy birthday.” Lance said in his low tone.

“... Huh?” Yet once again, Yellow was so dumbfounded because of Lance. Her eyes widened in pure disbelief and her brain refused to work.

Lance gave her a flash of true amusing smirked and with that he returned to his original place leaning against his Dragonite. He put a hand over his face to block out the light, probably trying to get some sleep.

Yellow sat there for nearly ten minutes later, processing his simple but not so simple actions. She had got what she wanted most after a long tiring day in a somehow unexpected way from an unexpected one. Her lips slowly drew into a big smile without her realizing it. She could not guess the reason he had said something out of character, but she did not care to know. She could not forgive what he had done in the past, but she thought she could accept him as how he was now. Everyone deserved a second chance, didn’t they?

Her birthday this year was odd, so odd, Yellow contemplated as she lay inside the sleeping bag Lance had told her to sleep in. She got to know more about the wildness of Viridian Forests, about a secret holy place where the Divinity Lake clandestinely located, and she got to know about her old enemy in his present days not just by Silver’s stories but by her own self. It was something, right? It was wonderful now to think it through…

 _Happy birthday,_ she giggled mentally at those words, feeling contented. No need parties, no need presents, just one adventure and a simple wish would be just fine. Tomorrow, Yellow would be back at home, doing casual things and she would soon miss about the today’s oddness, she believed.

She smiled at ease as she let herself drift away into the dreamland.

 

 

Night moved on and soon the dawn was about to peek. Yellow woke up to Lance’s stern voice when the sky was still dark and stars had yet to fade. Bugs and birds early chirped destroyed the quietness of the wee hours, as if they did not rest for the night. And the Divinity Lake shimmered magically, radiating a faint white halo which only now did she took notice of since the fire had died out. It was beautiful and she wished to revisit this place in near future, if she knew the way to get here.

“Ready to go?” Lance asked, having packed up all his belongings including his cloak. He threw a snack bar for her to munch on and she whispered a thank in reply. The sun was nowhere to be seen, blocked by the dense and tall trees, but hints of orange and yellow painted the sky.

“Can we wait a little longer? Chuchu needs to eat something.” She caught an annoyance on his face so quickly added. “It’ll be quick, I promise.”

Lance said nothing to that as he walked to the lake’s side while Yellow went to wake her Pikachu up and gave it a small part of her snack. It chittered happily as it received the food. She watched it eat for few more minutes before getting up and picking up her bag, strapping her belt around her waist and ready to go home. She was uncomfortable with the absence of her hat and mentally noted to buy a new one as soon as possible.

“Chuchu!” Yellow called to Pikachu and patted her right shoulder as indicating for it to climb on. The yellow rodent happily occupied its place and pawed lightly.”I’m ready Lance!”

Waiting just for that, Lance immediately mounted his Dragonite and gave her a hand to get up onto the dragon’s scaly back. Once she positioned herself well behind him, he commanded Dragonite to take off towards the high firmament.

“Hold on tight,” Lance said but Yellow did not need he to tell her that as she firmly gripped his shirt for dear life. Pikachu too was digging its claws into her skin to hold on, and she bit her lips so hard that she could taste blood at the tip of her tongue.

Dragonite shot through the air and soon brought them to the very familiar forest parts near Viridian City’s outskirt. The enormous dragon soared and landed on an open clearing not so far from the forest’s rear. Yellow had a little nausea and her head spinned like a wheels when she tried balancing herself on the stable ground. When she finally got her senses back, Lance and his Dragonite had been back to the air.

She looked up after him and saw him staring down at her. Their gaze locked for a second. Pikachu nuzzled her neck, sending a light tickle down her skin. Her shoulder stung and was warm with blood but she gave no much care.

“Farewell, Yellow.” He said loud enough to be heard over the distance.

Again, she shivered at her name in his voice but ignored it nonetheless. “Will we meet again someday?”

He gave her a look and mumbled something under his breath which she could not make out. Then he shrugged and spoke with a faint smirk. “If Viridian Forests wants… Take care.”

He turned away and urged the dragon to beat its wings and they flew off in a swift motion. Yellow watched their leaving, memorizing the very last image of the man with striking red hair on his mighty Dragonite being enveloped in crispy rays of morning light. Gentle breeze blew and the foliage rustled in sync.

“Let’s go home, Chuchu.” Yellow said in a small voice as she left for the forest’s entrance. She was full of life and wearing on her usual bright expression and a big smile as she jogged along the path led her home. “And get some decent shower, bandaged this little wound you’ve made.”

Yellow teased her Pikachu, not meant anything harsh to which the rodent flattened its ears in guilt. “Haha, it’s okay, Chuchu. It’s not your fault, buddy,” she laughed a little. “Oh, and I need to apologize uncle for this dress, too. And I should really charge my Poketransciever and check if there’s any missed call or messages…”

She kept rambling on the to do list when she got back with her Pikachu who was clinging on her good shoulder. The desire to get to learn and know more about her nature home built up inside her mind.

-End-

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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